Rail-joint.



No. 869,164. PATENTED OCT. 22. 1907.

- G. E. ELM.

RAIL JOINT. APPLIUATIOR' FILED JAN. 30, 1907.

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CHARLES E. ELM, OF SOUTH PRAIRIE, WASHINGTON.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentec Cat, 22, 1907.

Application filed January 30. 1907. Serial No. 354,872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. ELM, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Prairie, in the county ol Pierce and State of Washingtoin have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to rail joints, the object of the invention being to provide a practical support for the contiguous ends of railway rails whereby said rails are prevented from breaking down at the joints, the improved device being applicable to rails already in place without removing the fish-plates or splice bars and without in any way disturbing the construction of the road-bed.

With the above general object in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, ilhstratod and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l. is a sectional plan'view of a rail joint showing the device of this invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional side elevation thereol. Fig. 4; is a cross-section taken on the line 4*4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a cross-section taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

In Fig. l, I have shown an, ordinary rail joint in which .I and 2 designate the rail ends, and 3 the splice bars or fish-plates applied thereto and corresponding with those at present in use.

In carrying out the present invention, I employ two rail clamps for each .rail joint, one of said clamps being illustrated in elevation in Fig. 4-, in which it will be seen that the clamp comprises two sections 4 and 5, the section thaving its body made long enough to extend beneath both flanges oi the rail and being pro-' vided with a lip G which overhangs one of the rail flanges and serves as a connection between said section of the clamp and the rail for properly supporting the clamp on and from the rail. Thesection 4 is also provided with a horizontal extension 7 upon which the body of the other clamp section 5 rests and to which it is attached. The section 5 is provided with an overhanging lip 8 corresponding in shape and function with the lip 6. The two clamp members are further provided with interlocking tongues and grooves 9 so that they may be properly alined one with the other to bring the same into proper relation to each other and to the rail. The sections l and 5 are further provided with outwardly extending lugs or rests 10 for the support of the extremities of a pair of truss-bars 11 and 12 arranged at opposite sides of the rail ends 1 and 2, as shown in Fig, 1.

Each of the truss-bars l1 and 12 comprises an arched body 13, highest at the center and tapering therefrom toward each end, the central portion of the body being approximately as high as .the lower sides of the heads of the rails, as indicated in Fig. 2. Each truss-bar also comprises the oppositely extending reinforcing flanges ll 1 located in the plane of the bottom oi? the body 3 of the cross-bar and the outer flanges M are extended far enough to provide terminal cars 15 which bear upon the rests ]O of the clamps 4 and 5 and are bolted or otherwise secured thereto as indicated at '16. The inner flange of each truss-bar is preferably cut away as shown at 17 to allow for the adjacent overhanging lip 6 or S of the clamp sections.

The central portions of the truss-bars are enlarged or widened as shown. at 18 to form broad bearings against and upon a,rail end seat 19 provided with a bottom reinforcing flange 20 to give the requisite strength thereto. This seat 19 extends transversely beneath the extremities of the rails, as best indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, the body 01 the seat resting in contact with the bottoms of the rails, as shown in Fig. 3, and the truss-bars are lirmly secured thereto by bolts or their equivalent, as indicated at 21. It will thus be seen that the trussbars are supported at their opposite extremities by means located at points remote from the rail extremities and that the truss-bars in turn support the rail end seat 19 which extends beneath the extremities of the rails and prevents the breaking down of the rails at their joints.

It will also be noted that the device lwreinabove described is applicable to a railway without removing the fish-plates or otherwise disturbing the road-bed construction.

I claim 1- 1. A rail end support comprising a truss-bar disposed above the bottom o1 the rails, means located at opposite sides of ihe rail extremities for supporting the truss-bar, and a seat lfor the rail extremities supported by said truss-bar. l

2. The combination with rail ends, of rail clamps located at opposite sides of said extremities. a truss-bar disposed above the bottom of the rails and having its opposite ends supported by aid clamps. and a rail end seat supported by the tru. -bar at a point intermediate the ends of the latter and extending beneath the rail extremities.

3. The combination with rail ends, 01. trussba rs arranged at opposite sides thereof and in a common horizontal plane therewith, means tor supporting the ends of said truss-bars at points remote [rain and on opposite sides of the rail joint, and a rail end seat supported on and underneath said truss-bars and extending beneath the extremities of the rails.

4. The combination with rail. ends, of secondary clamps secured to the rails at points remote from and on opposite sides oi the joint, parallel trnss-bars supported above the bottom or the rails and having their ends supported by said elanlps, and a rail end seat supported by said trussbars at a point intermediate the ends of the latter, said [0 seat extending beneath the rail extremities which rest thereon.

In testimony whereof, I ailix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHAS. E. ELM.

Witnesses MiLo Ross, JOHN Sco'r'r. 

